


Stasis

by puddinghead



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Comfort, DO NOT READ if you're triggered by descriptions of anxiety or panic attacks!!, M/M, Social Anxiety, other characters are mentioned in like two lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 19:10:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4448729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddinghead/pseuds/puddinghead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenma has an anxiety attack, but he doesn't have to go through it alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stasis

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve read multiple fics where either Kenma or Kuroo has anxiety/panic attacks, and it's always seemed so believable for their characters, so I thought I’d give it a go!  
> This takes place during the barbecue at the end of the Tokyo training camp. Kenma is forced into situations like that a lot, what with being on a sports team and all, and I figure that it doesn’t always go smoothly.

The people were loud.No one was even near him, but the space was so densely populated that it made his head start to swim.Even though Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were talking quietly amongst themselves a good distance away from him, their voices echoed in his ears.The smell of barbecue went from mildly appealing to a stench that filled his nostrils with sharp needles and pins.

Kenma could feel the air escape his lungs.Every breath he tried to take was a dry gulp of hot air that scorched his insides.As his vision shook like a damaged recording, he shot up, dropping his PSP to the concrete next to his untouched plate of food.He desperately stumbled inside and felt his way to the bathroom.Being the men's room of a well-established school, it was polished and crisp and spacious, but Kenma felt like he was under a blanket in some hot hole in the ground, miles beneath the point where his choked cries for help would go unheard.He fell against the far wall between the last urinal and the corner, shrinking down with his hands on his head.The shaking was getting worse.His skin crawled with sweat that wouldn't evaporate, while his hair clung to his neck like a brace.He pushed it back with trembling hands, trying to peel off layers of clothes that weren't there.He swallowed hard.

"Think about something.Anything," he hissed aloud."Think of the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack.Think of Vanille's Theme."The slow, melodic piano flickered in his mind, lulling him to security for mere seconds before the tempo violently rose into a cacophonous battle theme that rung shrill in his ears.He gritted his teeth together, hands pressing into his scalp as he dropped to a fetal position.

" _Stop.Stop.Stop.Stop.Stop._ "

"Kenma?"

He barely heard his name.Shoes clacked on the tile, wandering around the room until turning the corner to face his balled-up form.He couldn't muster the strength to look up at the person in front of him, but he knew who it was.Or maybe he just hoped.

"Kenma," Kuroo breathed, his voice even and low, laced with the slightest air of relief.He bent down and hunched over to look into his teammate's shaded eyes."Hey, I'm here.What do you need?"

Kenma shook his head, closing his eyes as he did so; he didn't want the motion making his vision even worse than it already was.Kuroo didn't say anything, but repositioned himself against the wall next to him.They sat there for about twenty minutes with no sound but Kenma's ragged breathing and his trembling shoes scuffing against the bathroom floor.At one point, Yaku appeared in the doorway, looking concerned, but Kuroo waved him away.The libero nodded in understanding and headed back out.

Finally, the ringing started to fade.The tile began to feel cool on Kenma's bare arms, and the world came back into focus.Air began to fill his lungs again, and he inhaled deeply, slowly, measuring every breath.Once he had started to regain control of his senses, he pushed himself up against the wall, clutching Kuroo's arm for support.  

"Feeling a little better?" Kuroo asked.

Kenma nodded."Yeah… I think I'm okay now."

Kuroo reached over and wiped the sweat from his clammy forehead."You want me to get you some water or food?"

"No.Let's just stay here."

"It'll be awkward if someone comes in, you know."

"I don't care."Kenma paused a moment.His eyes darted to the side, away from his teammate's gaze."Kuro, you can leave, if you want."

"Do you want me to?"

"… Not really."

Kuroo chuckled and leaned into the wall."How many times have we gone through this, and you still say that… Here," he said, pulling something out of his pants pocket.Kenma's eyes widened when he looked over, and he eagerly snatched the PSP out of Kuroo's hand.

"Thanks," he muttered, already engrossed in the startup screen.Without looking away from the game, he pushed Kuroo's legs down so that they were stretched out on the floor and leaned back, resting his head in his lap.The captain ran a hand slowly through Kenma's hair, then pushed his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, a content smile gracing his sharp features.

"That's what I'm here for."

 


End file.
